Anarcho-capitalism Quote by Pyotr Kropotkin
““It is easy to see, however,―as has been indicated more than once by anarchist writers, and lately by the French professor, V. Basch, in an interesting work, Anarchist Individualism: Max Stirner (1904, in French)―that this sort of individualism, aiming as it does at the "full development," not of all members of society, but of those only who would be considered as the most gifted ones, without caring for the right of full development for all―is merely a disguised return towards the now-existing education-monopoly of the few. It simply means a "right to their full development" for the privileged minorities. But, as such monopolies cannot be maintained otherwise than under the protection of a monopolist legislation and an organized coercion by the State, the claims of these individualists necessarily end in a return to the state idea and to that same coercion which they so fiercely attack themselves. Their position is thus the same as that of Spencer, and of all so-called "Manchester school" of economists, who also begin by a severe criticism of the State and end in its full recognition in order to maintain the property monopolies, of which the State is the necessary stronghold.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Anarchist Individualism, 1904
Privileged minorities claim exclusive rights to full development, which ultimately depends on state‑enforced monopolies, contradicting anarchist ideals.
In simple terms: Elitist individualism relies on state power.
Beware of hidden state dependence.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- education reform
- wealth inequality
- labor rights
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What freedoms are sacrificed for elite development?
- Is true individualism possible without state?
Idealist claims may mask authoritarian outcomes.